


You drive too fast for me

by dabs_into_oblivion



Category: A Series of Unfortunate Events (TV), A Series of Unfortunate Events - Lemony Snicket
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-15
Updated: 2020-05-15
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:27:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 623
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24198217
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dabs_into_oblivion/pseuds/dabs_into_oblivion
Summary: A short exploration of Beatrice.
Relationships: Beatrice Baudelaire/Bertrand Baudelaire, Beatrice Baudelaire/Lemony Snicket
Kudos: 9





	You drive too fast for me

"Beatrice?"

She turns. Illuminated by the streetlamp, she looks like an angel. He shuts the taxi door and moves toward her, extending his arms, and she comes forward into them. They are silent while her head drops onto his shoulder and her arms lift to clasp his waist.

But he didn't just come here to comfort her. Pulling back, his face tight with worry, he says, "Where is he?"

Her face crumples. "Gone."

"Gone?" He takes a step back. "And you let him go?"

"It was my fault, Bertrand!" Her voice is low but it carries. "I threw the dart, and he's taking the blame. You know him, always so noble, even to the point of his own destruction." She swipes at her cheeks with the backs of her hands.

"It's my fault, too," he says, his hands closing into loose fists. "I gave you the dart."

"No, shh -- " her finger is on his mouth and for a moment he can't breathe, only think about what it would feel like for her lips to replace her finger " -- I didn't tell him that. No one knows. I'm not interested in you being collateral damage here."

As he looks into her eyes he can feel himself drowning and he wonders if she could ever possibly feel the same. But now is not the time for that. He gently takes the hand that is covering his mouth and says, "Where now?"

\----------------

She should have known. The moment she's back in civilization, Lemony knows.

Oh, he waits until after Violet is born, the child that she and Bertrand would have named after her first and greatest love because they thought he was dead. Obviously he's not because he's here, sitting across from her and drinking tea with the same look on his face as when she put his ring on for the first time.

She shakes her head to clear it. "What do you want?"

He sets the teacup down. "I heard you have a daughter. Congratulations."

She forces a smile onto her face. "Thank you." Every nerve in her body is screaming that she is not safe with this man, that she doesn't know him and very possibly never knew him, that his obsessive interest in her will ruin everything she has worked to build --

He is standing, holding out a hand to her. She rises without taking it, arching an eyebrow at him, and they leave the cafe without touching.

Of course she still feels it, the electricity between them. She'd be a fool to deny it. But what she has learned since the last time they kissed is that electricity does not go well with tears. Tears of sorrow, tears of joy. She doesn't know how she feels about Bertrand -- she may never know -- but she can make him happy without feeling as though she is compromising herself, and that's what she needs.

They have stopped beside a low black car. Lemony opens the passenger door. "Can I offer you a lift?"

She shakes her head, not quite meeting his eyes. "It's been lovely seeing you, but I don't think we should do this again." She didn't miss the waves of exhaustion she always felt around him, as though he were feeding off her energy, her affection for him. She knows he has no idea he's doing this, of course.

For a moment the mask of geniality drops from his face and he takes the tiniest step toward her. "Beatrice . . . "

She shakes her head. She can't do this with words, but she needs to do it all the same. "You drive too fast for me, Lemony." The words are heavy with unspoken meaning, and as she turns away, she feels his eyes follow her.


End file.
